Question to Mxmanic

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Don't you have to descend to catch the wake? Downwash should be moving
downward at a few knots and IIRC the vortices do as well, so after two
minutes at, say, 12 knots, the turbulence would be almost 2500 feet
below you, if you are staying at altitude. I don't see how you could
run into it.

I'm not a physicist, but I suspect your calculations are missing several
factors, including (but not limited to) some that I can point out:

1) At a 45 degree bank, the wings are not actually pointed directly down.

2) In the typical trainer plane flying 100 knots, a 45 degree bank turn
will take far less than 2 minutes to go 360 degrees.

3) Wind can blow the wake in any number of directions, including up, and
including into the path of the 360 degree turn.

The bottom line is that the Practical Test Standards call for pilots to
perform a manuever called a Steep Turn of 360 degrees at a bank angle of 45
degrees. Every certificated pilot practices this, and demonstrates it to an
examiner, and frequently demonstrates it again during his or her Biannual
Flight Review.

Do you think it is more likely that the pilots on this newsgroup who
express that they have flown through their own wake while performing this
manuever are just lying to you?

Or perhaps you have miscalculated or omitted something from your
calculations.